Rather than looking outside of myself for stability, safety, and security, I learned from a meditation today, that coming back to the breath provides me with a way to start again.
Most of us struggle to meditate. I get anxious and think about the 100 other things I could be doing, and feel it is wasted time. It may be that I don’t want to slow down enough to allow something into my head, or maybe I just have a lot going on and I’m feeling overwhelmed. Regardless, that anxiety generally gets the better of me and about 4 of the 5 times I meditate each week I either end the meditation practice early or give in to the to-do list in my mind.
Going back to each breath, starting again, allowing each breath to be a new beginning, is such a basic idea, but so powerful. I have the ability to start again, with each breath, and I have the ability to focus only on that breath. Rather than thinking about the 10 or 20 minutes at the beginning of the meditation that I am attempting to sit, silently, I can just focus on that breath, and then the next one. I can see, and live in, the here and now. I step out of time, and I can control the busyness of my mind, even if just for one breath.
Each breath establishes my strength, my presence, and is a signal for me to begin again.
photo credit: Aristocrats-hat via photopin cc
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- Meditation Is Like Cleaning the Windows We Look Through Every Day. ~ Tova Payne (elephantjournal.com)
- Who Knew Meditation Could Be So Simple (truthaboutsergebenhayon.com)
